The Heart Attack
by kangaleigh
Summary: Gibbs collapses in Abby's lab. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own anything. Just wanted to get that out of the way now. I usually don't post stories that are not 100% complete, but I'm having some trouble focusing on finishing it. This way I have motivation. So please stay with me as I try to get this done. And I am NOT going to be one of those authors that holds stories for ransom with "give me reviews or I won't post!" I think if even just one person reads it, it will be worth it! I do ask though, please be kind! I am but a gentle and sensitive creature.**

Chapter 1

Abby was sitting in her lab watching AFIS fingerprints flash across the screen. For 3 hours it had been searching for a match. Abby was starting to wonder if it would ever find one. There was no DNA in the system from her earlier search, but it was more likely there was going to be a fingerprint match anyway. _I mean, even kids get fingerprinted nowadays for identification purposes_. Abby picked up the rest of her Caf-Pow! and finished it. She rested her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

"Abby."

She felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked to her right. "Gibbs!" she startled, sitting up and nearly falling off of her chair. Gibbs was able to catch her with his one free arm; the other was holding her new Caf-Pow! "I didn't realize I was falling asleep."

"You've been a sleep for at least 15 minutes. I just didn't want to disturb you." He handed her the drink.

She arched her eyebrow. "You were watching me sleep?"

"When you say it out loud, it seems creepy." He stared at the computer screen still searching fingerprints. "Still nothing?"

"Nope. Sorry, Gibbs."

"Don't apologize. I know your doing your best." He handed her a disc. "Now, do more."

"What's this?" she asked taking it from him.

"Video from outside the grocery store. Let's see if we can find anything on it." Abby put the disc in her drive and pulled it up on the big screen. She walked around her table and stood in front of it. She listened for what Gibbs wanted to get a better look at, and enhanced where she needed to. It wasn't quite the lead they were looking for until Abby saw something hinky.

"Gibbs, you see that?" She zoomed in on a vehicle that was barely visible at the top of the screen and started to enhance it. "Gibbs?" she asked, turning around when he didn't answer. He was already gone. _Usually he waits for a result before he takes off. I wonder if there is some kind of wax to make my floors squeaky?_ she wondered to herself. Shrugging it off she finished enhancing the plate on the video. "Gotcha!"

She headed back to her table to check on the fingerprints search and call Gibbs about the license plate number she was able to recover. That was when she saw him. He was lying on the floor, coffee spilled next to him. "Gibbs!" she yelled and bent down to check on him. She couldn't find a pulse, but in her defense she wasn't sure she was even looking in the right place. She reached up for her phone and pulled it to the floor with her. She quickly hit the button for the one person she thought could help.

"Morgue."

"Ducky! Gibbs collapsed. I need help!"

"My God, where are you?"

"Lab!" Ducky didn't even bother to say he was on his way before he hung up. It felt like hours before Ducky and Jimmy showed up in her lab. Time was moving so slowly for her and she wasn't sure what to do. She had turned Gibbs onto his back and held his head in her lap. "Ducky, help!" she pleaded when they entered the room.

"Do you call 911 yet?" Her eyes shot open. She never even thought about it. "Jimmy." Jimmy grabbed the phone off of the floor and called for an ambulance. Ducky checked Gibbs' pulse and his breathing. "I need you to lie him flat on the floor and help me with CPR." Abby did as she was told without even thinking about it. If she had, she would have realized this meant Gibbs wasn't breathing.

"Ambulance is pulling into the gate now."

"Go meet them out front and bring them straight here." Not even 2 minutes later, Jimmy was leading in 2 EMTs. They put an oxygen mask over Gibbs' face and loaded him onto the gurney. "I'm going to go in the ambulance with him. I'll meet you at the hospital, alright?" Abby nodded as they took Gibbs away. She was left standing in her lab with Jimmy, not sure what to do.

"Perhaps we should tell the others," suggested Jimmy. She faced him, then took off up the stairs. Jimmy followed her. He knew she and Gibbs were close and didn't know how she was going to handle this current situation. Abby was much faster than Jimmy was on the stairs, but she was very motivated. She somehow thought this would help Gibbs.

When she reached the squad room, she was out of breath and having a hard time getting her words out. "G-Gibbs. He..he..(whew)..fell…"

"Abby, are you alright?" McGee asked walking up to her. "What's going on?"

"It's Gibbs!" Jimmy shouted once he reached the other agents. "He collapsed in the lab. They are taking him to Bethesda right now. Dr. Mallard is with him." Jimmy put an arm around Abby. The reality of what happened appeared to be sinking in and she looked paler than usual. He was afraid of her going into shock and collapsing herself. The team started gathering their things and heading for the elevator. "Come on," Jimmy said to Abby. "I'll drive you to the hospital." Without protest, she walked to his car with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky, Abby and Jimmy sat in the waiting room at the hospital. Ducky had told them that the ambulance ride over had been less than smooth. Gibbs' heartbeat was weak and erratic. At one point his heart even stopped all together, but they were able to get it going again.

"Ducky, do you know what is wrong with him?" Ziva asked moments after first arriving.

"My guess would be a heart attack," he somberly said.

"Gibbs had a heart attack?" McGee asked disbelievingly.

"Its not uncommon for a man of his age and stress level. Not to mention his diet. The man practically shoots caffeine into his veins."

Abby, who hadn't said a word since her and Jimmy left the squad room, visibly began to shake. Jimmy put his arm around her to help calm her. His heart was breaking for her.

After 30 minutes of waiting, Tony finally got impatient enough to ask the nurse, "What's taking them so long?"

"What's the patients name?"

_God, she doesn't even know who we are here for?!_ "Gibbs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

She typed the name into her computer. "He's still in surgery. I'm sure the moment they know something, the doctor will come out and tell you."

"What kind of surgery?"

"Are you a relative, sir?"

"No."

"Then I can't tell you anymore than that." Knowing he would continue to ask questions she couldn't answer, she got up from her desk to get more coffee.

"What did the nurse say, Tony?" McGee asked when Tony came back to the group.

"They said he's in surgery, but wouldn't tell me why." Tony looked over at Abby and Jimmy who were sitting a few seats away from everyone else.

"Well, if it was a heart attack," said Ducky, "they are most likely trying to clear out the blockage in his artery."

"How long does that normally take?" asked Tony.

"It really depends on which artery, if they needed to open the heart cavity, and how big the blockage is."

"This is very serious, is it not, Ducky?"

"Yes, Ziva. I'm afraid it is."

* * *

A couple of hours later, a doctor emerged from the automatic double doors. Tony, who had been anxiously sitting on the edge of his seat, was the first to see him. He jumped up, but no one seemed to notice. "Gibbs?" asked the doctor moving farther into the room.

"Yeah," said Tony stepping forward to meet the doctor. Everyone else got up and moved with him, except Abby. She continued to stare at the floor. "How's he doing?"

"Mr. Gibbs had a blockage in the back coronary artery causing him to have a heart attack. We performed an angioplasty and placed in two stents to get the blood flowing again. There was some damage done to the heart tissue, but it was repairable."

"But how is he _now_?" Ziva asked impatiently.

"He's stable but in critical condition. We have him in the ICU."

"Can we see him?" she asked.

The doctor sighed. "Only immediate family can go in."

Before anyone had a chance to object, Jimmy spoke up. He had thought something like this may happen. "Abby," he said turning towards her and walking over. "Abby, go see your brother and tell us how he's doing." He pulled Abby to her feet and walked her over to the group. "Abby's his little sister," he told the doctor. "She can see him, right?"

The doctor looked her over. He doubted that was his patient's sister, but he didn't know for sure. "He's still unconscious, and may be for a while. You'll have to keep it short." He doctor turned sideways and gestured with his arm towards the double doors. The group watched as she and the doc walked away.

* * *

Abby stood in the doorway staring at the bed on the far side of the room. Gibbs laid there, practical lifeless and pale. If not for the steady beeping coming from the machine next to him, she would have thought him dead. She didn't want to see him like this, but, for whatever reason, they thought it was best she come in and be their eyes and ears.

"Miss Gibbs?" said the nurse behind her. If she didn't feel so broken, she would have laughed. The thought of them actually thinking she was Gibbs' sister was comical. "Do you want to see him?"

_No_, she thought, _I don't_. "I have to," she softly said despite herself and slowly stepped into the room. She sat in the chair between the bed and the window. "God, Jethro," she said using his first name because the nurse was still standing in the room. The nurse might think it suspicious if Abby called "her brother" by his last name. "Can we have some privacy, please?" The nurse left. "What am I supposed to tell everyone?" she asked Gibbs. "That you look like hell? Because you do. Know what would make you look better? If you woke up. At least then you wouldn't look so…dead," she trailed off. She touched his forearm. _So cold_, she thought. _Poor blood flow. That's why he's so cold_. The science was ringing in her head. At times like this, she wished she could turn that part of her brain off.

Abby was only able to stay for 10 minutes before the nurse told her she had to go. When the team asked her how Gibbs looked, she replied, "Like Gibbs." She didn't know what else to say. She didn't know when she would be able to go back. She wasn't sure if she wanted to stay though either. She really just wanted to be alone; possibly pretend none of this was happening. Maybe she should just go back to work. _The license plate! Oh God, I forgot!_

"Tony! I got a license plate number off that video Gibbs brought me. I didn't get a chance to tell anyone."

"Do you remember what it was?" She shook her head. "Okay, let's go. Where's your car?"

"I rode out here with Jimmy."

"I rode out with McGee and Ziva."

"I can take you back," said Jimmy.

"I don't think so, Palmer. Ziva! Probie! Got a case to solve!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I forgot to mention this before, but I have no clue what happens when someone has a heart attack. Please forgive me if my story isn't 100% correct. I hope this doesn't ruin it for anyone.**

* * *

Chapter 3

It wasn't until after midnight that Gibbs woke up. It wasn't until 1:30 a.m. that they called Abby. She didn't go back to the hospital after work. All she could think about was the last time Gibbs was in the hospital. She was afraid of him waking up and not remembering her again. She knew that was most likely very illogical, but it worried her just the same.

She didn't call anyone else to tell them he was awake. She figured it could wait until the morning. On her way to the hospital, she started second guessing her decision. Even if she wouldn't be able to see him, she would want to know how he was doing. _I'll call after I see him, when I have more information_.

The nurse took Abby to Gibbs' room. His room mate was asleep and snoring loudly. It was dark in the room and Gibbs appeared to be sleeping again. "I thought he was awake?"

Abby saw Gibbs' eyes fluttered opened and he turned towards her voice. His eyes squinted as he tried to focus on her face. She subconsciously held her breath as she waited for Gibbs to recognize her. "Abigail?"

_Abigail?_ "Yeah, _Jethro_. Its me," she said walking over to the chair she was in earlier and sitting down. She placed her hand on his arm again. _A little warmer than before._ "How do you feel?"

He glanced over at the nurse, then back to Abby. He motioned for her to come in closer. "She stole my boat."

Abby blinked. "What?"

"That nurse. She stole my boat," he whispered. Abby looked at the nurse with a questioning glance.

"We put him on a morphine drip," the nurse dryly explained. Abby nodded in understanding. "He'll probably be in and out of it for a while." Abby looked back at Gibbs, and, sure enough, he was already asleep again. "Would you like a blanket and pillow, Miss Gibbs?"

"I'm not married!" said Gibbs still in slumber.

"Yes, please. Is it alright if I use this phone to make a call?" The nurse nodded and left to get the bedding set for Abby.

Abby made the calls to Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky, and even Jimmy, and updated them on Gibbs. Jimmy offered to come to the hospital, but she said no. Tony insisted on coming down, but Abby told him he wouldn't be able to see Gibbs anyway. While on the phone with McGee, Gibbs woke up and asked who she was talking with.

"Its McGee."

"I hear he's a lord of elves."

Abby smiled. "Yes. Yes, he is."

"I'm what?" McGee asked from the other end of the phone.

* * *

Abby soon fell asleep in the chair once all the calls were made. Not 10 minutes later, she was woken up by someone saying her name. "Abby? Abby." Her eyes slowly opened. Tony was kneeling in front of her.

_Of course he came anyway_, she thought. She looked over at Gibbs who was still sleeping. "How did you get in here?"

"Snuck past the nurse." He grabbed a chair and pulled it over next to Abby. "How's he doing?" he asked nodding his head towards Gibbs.

"The morphine is messing with his head. He's been awake on and off for a few minutes at a time since I got here. If it wasn't so scary, it would be funny."

"What's he been saying?"

"He's convinced one of the nurses stole his boat."

"She did," Gibbs said waking up for one of his short spells.

"What makes you think she stole your boat?" Abby asked.

"I can hear the motor running," he said referring to the snoring his room mate what doing. "It sounds broken." Tony chuckled. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

Tony stopped laughing. "Nothing, Boss." He turned to Abby and whispered, "I thought he was building a sail boat? Why would it have a motor?"

* * *

Tony was able to hide from the nurse for almost two hours before she found him crouched down next to Gibbs bed. "You're not supposed to be here," she said to him.

"Come on," he said sweetly to her, trying to charm his way into staying.

"Get out."

"Yes, Nurse Ratched," he roughly said.

The nurse faked a laugh. "That's so original!" she said sarcastically, then she turned serious. "You've got two minutes," she said and walked out to the hallway.

"I don't like her," he said grabbing his coat from the closet.

"I didn't think you could hate anyone with boobs that big," said Abby.

"Kelso in Legal," said Gibbs sleepily.

Abby chuckled. "He is a rather large man, isn't he?"

"I hate lawyers," Tony mumbled as he walked out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is a rather slow chapter. I apologize beforehand. Thanks to all you wonderful reviewers. You make my day!**

Chapter 4

The rest of the night went by smoothly. Gibbs slept the rest of the night, but Abby kept waking up to check on him. She knew it wasn't a necessary thing to do, but couldn't help it. When it got to 7 a.m., she went to work. She had too much to do to sit around and listen to Gibbs' incoherent ramblings. Besides, the nurse told her he would most likely be out the rest of the day. If Gibbs did well today, they would start taking him off the morphine.

The team got a case that morning. A female Naval officer was found murdered in a cheap motel room. Abby spent nearly all day trying to separate the different bodily fluids found on multiple things in the room, including a lamp shade. She didn't want to think about how that happened.

As usual in the boss' absence, Tony started to impersonate Gibbs. He came down every hour to see if she had anything for him. The third time he came down and she still didn't have anything he asked, "How do you always have something for Gibbs when he comes down but I get nothing?"

"For starters, Gibbs always bring me a Caf-Pow! which highly motivates me. Second, he doesn't come down and distract me every five minutes. So, if you leave me be, I may be able to get this done faster. There was a lot, and I mean an obscene amount, of fluids on the things you brought me. And not all of it is from the same person. So far I've got fluids from 8 different people. 8, Tony! That's disgusting! From now on I'm bringing my own sheets, blankets, and pillows to a hotel with me. That's another reason Gibbs gets results. He would have stopped that rant sentences ago forcing my focus back to the task at hand." Silence filled the room.

"So…you want a Caf-Pow!?"

"That's what I'm saying."

* * *

Abby was able to sneak away from the lab for an hour around 7 p.m. to go to the hospital. Gibbs was sleeping when she got there. The nurse said he had been doing well today and would start taking him off the morphine tomorrow.

She stayed at NCIS all night separating various bodily fluids. When she was finally finished she ran all 11 of them through police DNA files.

"Run them through the military records, too, Abby," Tony said when he came down to deliver her a fresh Caf-Pow!.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, technically, those are only used to identify bodies."

"Do it anyway. No one has to know."

"Tony! It would send up red flags and alerts to everyone we wouldn't want paying attention! I would totally get fired! If I get fired who would you bribe for results then?"

"Calvin."

Abby's jaw dropped and she gasped. "Calvin?! He's a putz! You'd have him running out of here crying in less than a week! Besides, what would Gibbs do to you if you caused me to get fired?"

That made Tony pause and think. _He'd kill me and then have Abby help him get rid of the body._ "So what now then?"

"Well," Abby said, "I'm running it through police records now, but if you find a suspect, I could take a cheek swab and see if it matches."

Later that afternoon, Tony and Ziva brought in 5 suspects. Abby suspected it was a bit overkill and Tony was just bringing in people to match the DNA with. She thought that he would probably go through ever military branch until he found who he was looking for. It did work though. By 6:54 p.m. that night, they had their guy.

* * *

Abby felt a little guilty not being there today while Gibbs was being weaned off his morphine, but she couldn't let Calvin handle the case. He would for sure have messed something up. She knew Gibbs would understand. At least she hoped he would. Besides, Ducky said he would stop by during lunch. She hadn't talked to him since then.

When she walked into his room, her heart stopped. Frozen in place, she just stared. The bed was empty. Gibbs was gone. _Ohmygod ohmygod, ohmygod! Oh no, oh no, oh no. This cannot be happening! He can't be gone. He just can't! Someone would have called me, right? What if they did and I answered the phone 'Abby Sciuto' and then they knew I wasn't Gibbs's sister and they hung up? But I didn't get any hang ups today, so that can't be it. Oh God, Gibbs! Where are-."_

"Miss Gibbs?" Abby turned around to see the same nurse that had kicked Tony out 2 nights before. She wanted to stay calm when talking to the nurse, but her mind wouldn't let her. It all came out in one big rush.

"Where's Gibbs? I mean, Jethro. What's going on? Is he ok? What happened? When did it happen? Its alright, you can tell me the truth. No you can't. I don't think I could handle it. Lie to me. Why didn't anybody call me-."

"Miss Gibbs! Its alright just take a breath and calm down. Mr. Gibbs is fine."

"He is?" she softly asked, a little embarrassed about her outburst. It seemed all that caffeine she had today had caught up with her.

"Yes," she said with a friendly smile. "They moved him out of the ICU about an hour ago. If you want to walk up to the nurses' station with me I can look up what room he is currently in." Abby nodded and followed the nurse up to the desk. After a few seconds of typing at her keyboard she told Abby Gibbs was now in room 314 on the third floor.

"Is it alright if his friends come visit him now?"

"Yes, that will be fine."

"Thank you," Abby said and headed for the elevator. After a few steps, she turned back for the nurses' station. "I have a confession to make," she told the nurse. "I'm not really his sister."

"I kind of figured," the nurse said with a small chuckle.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As usual, Abby found Gibbs sleeping. She only stayed half an hour until visiting hours were over. She called everyone when she got home and told them where Gibbs was moved to and that they could go see him.

She went back first thing in the morning. She was not surprised to see Tony was already waiting outside the room looking at his watch. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Waiting for visiting hours to start. And they do in…10..9..8-"

"DiNozzo, just come in already!" Gibbs shouted from the room.

"Sounds like he's feeling better," Abby said as she walked past Tony and into the hospital room.

"He's been standing out there for 10 minutes. It was driving me crazy," Gibbs grumbled.

"How did you know I was there?"

"I could smell you."

Abby leaned in and sniffed Tony. "You put cologne on to visit Gibbs?!" she laughed.

"No! I put it on for the nurse."

"You're not really my type," a rather hefty, mean looking woman said entering the room behind Tony and Abby. "The night nurse might like you though." The nurse, L. Jennings according to her name tag Abby noticed, walked over to examine Gibbs' IV.

"Oh yeah? What's her name?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Greg." Abby and Gibbs laughed. Gibbs started coughing and then winced in pain. He placed his hand on his chest, over his incision. "How are you feeling, Mr. Gibbs?"

"Like I've been cut open," he replied. His eyes were still closed and he laid his head back down on his pillow. "DiNozzo, get me a coffee. I hear its been about 3 days since I've had any."

"Got it, Boss." Tony turned to leave.

"No, 'Boss', he doesn't," Jennings said. "DiNozzo, don't go anywhere!" Tony stopped and turned back into the room. "The doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes."

"You've been saying that since I woke up."

"That was only 20 minutes ago, Mr. Gibbs."

"And stop calling me that. 'Gibbs' will be just fine. Now, how do I get this damn thing to move?" Jennings helped Gibbs to sit up.

"Sounds like he is back to normal," Tony whispered in Abby's ear.

She giggled. "Must have gotten his boat back." Tony tried not to laugh, but failed.

"What about my boat?"

Tony and Abby kept laughing. "Oh, nothing," Abby said. "It was just the morphine talking."

* * *

Within the next 15 minutes, Ducky, Ziva, and McGee ended up squeezing into the small, private room. Gibbs couldn't really remember what had happened since he first walked into Abby's lab so many days ago. The team spent the next few minutes catching him up until the doctor came in.

"Mr. Gibbs! How are you feeling?" he said overly chipper.

"Like there's a big hole in my chest."

The doctor walked over to Gibbs and checked his IV and monitors. "Can I take a glimpse?" he asked gesturing to Gibbs' chest. Gibbs nodded. The doctor pulled back the neck of the hospital gown and checked out the bandages. He gently pulled the bandage away to see the incision. "Not too bad. A little red around the edges, but that's to be expected. There's no swelling, so I don't believe there is an infection. We'll keep a close eye on it though. I'll get Nurse Jennings to check on it again in about an hour." The doctor reattached the bandage. "So, I see you've got lots of friends here." Tony tried to suppress a laugh, but couldn't quite do it. Instead it came out as a snort. Both Abby and Ziva elbowed him in his ribs. He gasped and bent over. Ziva hit him a little harder than Abby.

"When can I get out of here, Dr. Jordan?" Gibbs asked while glaring at Tony.

"I want to keep you here at least another day or two."

"A day or two?!" Gibbs tried to sit up too quickly and felt a pull at his chest. His hand automatically went to the incision as he winced in pain. McGee naturally took a step towards Gibbs, but Ducky put his arm out to stop him.

"Take it easy," said the doctor gently pushing Gibbs back onto the bed. "You keep doing things like that, you'll never heal." He checked the bandage. "You're bleeding a little. We'll have to change that bandage again in a few minutes. I want to talk to you about your diet right now though."

"What diet?" Ziva whispered to Tony.

"What was your diet like before?" asked Dr. Jordan.

"You'd have to ask General Wi," said Tony.

"Who's that?"

"That's who Gibbs gets most of his take-out from," McGee said. Ducky chuckled.

"You're going to have to start eating better," said Dr. Jordan. "You'll have to include lots of fruit and vegetables. Your cholesterol was high, so you'll have to monitor that. Home cooked, low-fat meals would be best."

"He's doomed," said Tony.

"You'll also have to cut out the caffeine." Collective gasps filled the room. Gibbs looked at the doctor like what was just said wasn't affecting him, but his eyes were raging. "I take it that could be a problem," Dr. Jordan said slowly.

"Nope, no problem," Gibbs said through a clenched jaw.

"We're all doomed," said Tony.

"Can Gibbs survive on his own home cooking and no coffee?" McGee asked Ducky.

"Do you two want to keep your jobs?" Gibbs said louder than necessary. No one even dared to breathe.

"We should talk about your stress levels. As a federal agent, I'm sure your job is very stressful. I'm far from expecting, or even asking, you to quit. There are a couple of stress-reducing techniques you can learn such as deep breathing and meditation. Some gentle exercise should help, too. Things like tai chi and yoga."

"Honestly, do I look like the yoga type?" Abby giggled.

"Do you exercise at all?" Dr. Jordan asked.

"Does chasing suspects count?"

"Do you do that a lot?"

"More often than I would like," Gibbs grumbled. "When can I get back to work?"

"Most people can return to work within a few weeks. But since your job requires extensive physical activity, we'll have to see how you do first. You may not be able to chase after the suspects. Send someone else after them if you can."

"You know, that one there," Gibbs said pointing at McGee, "once ran through a running car wash instead of around it?" Tony laughed and McGee lowered his head.

"And I doubt he'll do it again," said Dr. Jordan. "You are going to need a lot of support after you leave here and I have a feeling you usually don't depend on others." Dr. Jordan turned and looked at the group gathered in his patient's room. "I also have a feeling you all care about him very much. I'm trusting you all to help keep an eye on him when he gets out of here. Is there anyone else who works with him here?"

"All of us do," said Ducky. "And we are glad and willing to help him with the transition back to his regular life."

"He's a doctor," said McGee.

"Really? What kind of doctor?"

"He works in the morgue," said Gibbs. Then he added, "But that doesn't mean he isn't capable."

"Good," said Dr. Jordan. "Good. Alright, I'm going to get Nurse Jennings to come and replace that bandage then I want you to rest. Before you object," he said cutting off the coming moans, groans, and cries, "the more you rest, the sooner you heal, the sooner you can go home."

"I feel fine now."

"You just had major heart surgery, Jethro," said Ducky. "You need to let that ticker repair. You know, I once came cross a case where-."

"You know, I _am_ feeling a bit tired," Gibbs interrupted. "Can you get that nurse, please?" Dr. Jordan nodded and left the room. Gibbs motioned for Tony to come closer and he did. "Tony," Gibbs whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "I need you to quietly get me a coffee. Right now."

"But-."

"No 'buts'. Just do it."

Tony had a sneer spread across his face. "Say the magic word."

"Fired!" he growled.

The smile didn't leave Tony's face. He had expected as much from him. "You got it, Boss." Tony left with almost everyone expecting what he was going to do.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I know it is a short chapter, but we are nearing the end.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Everyone was kicked out of Gibbs' room when Tony came back with a decaf coffee. Gibbs took a big gulp and spit it back out. "What the hell is this, DiNozzo?!?"

"Coffee."

"It's decaf!"

"How can you tell?"

"Are you seriously asking him that?" asked Abby.

"I told them to make it really, _really_, strong," he said as everyone marched out of the room.

* * *

Gibbs was alone for a couple of hours until Jimmy showed up with a Get Well card. "Thanks, Palmer," he said laying the card on the side table.

"So when are they going to spring you from this place?" Jimmy asked pulling a chair up to the side of the bed.

"Not soon enough," Gibbs mumbled. Jimmy continued to look at him. "A day or two," he clarified. Jimmy nodded his head slowly. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence. Gibbs and Jimmy didn't spend a lot of time together at or away from work. Gibbs wasn't even entirely sure what Jimmy was doing there. He was trying to come up with something to say when Nurse Jennings entered the room.

"Got something for you, Gibbs," she said, not even acknowledging the young man in the room. She handed the items to Gibbs.

"What is this?" he asked opening the book.

"It's a journal and a few pamphlets on what you may be feeling." Gibbs raised an eyebrow to her. "Yeah, I know," she said. "But you still need to read it. There is also a pamphlet about some cardiac rehabilitation programs you'll need to sign up for within the next couple of weeks."

Gibbs flipped the pamphlets over in his hands, glancing at the front and back of each one, while Nurse Jennings checked his IV. "A journal?"

"I get the feeling you're a no BS kind of guy, Gibbs. I also get the feeling that you're not the journaling type."

"Got that right," said Jimmy with a smile. Both the nurse and Gibbs turned and looked at him. The nurse seemed to have noticed him for the first time. "Sorry," said Jimmy letting the smile slide from his face.

"He's right, though," said Gibbs still looking at Jimmy.

"I figured," said Nurse Jennings. "I'm going to give you the official spiel here. Rehabilitation programs help you recover fast physically from a heart attack, but dealing with the psychological impact can take longer. Many patients experience feeling of helplessness and/or depression. It is best to confront these feelings than to bottle them up inside. One good way of doing this is by keeping a journal. Writing down the feelings you are having may help you to feel better."

Gibbs looked from the pamphlet to the nurse's face. "That is almost exactly what it says in here," he said holding it up.

"I told you it was official," she said. "But that doesn't make it any less true. You are to take all of this seriously."

"So…write in the journal?"

"Write in the journal." As an after thought she added, "Or you could talk about it with him." She looked at Jimmy again. So did Gibbs.

"The journal it is."

* * *

For the next two days, Gibbs had a few visits from the team. They had unfortunately caught a case a few hours after first leaving Gibbs, so they didn't have much time to come by. By the second day, Gibbs was so tired of being cooped up that he started wishing Jimmy would come visit him. He kept wondering when he would be able to go home. Just as he was about to get fed up and leave, Dr. Jordan came in.

"When can I get out of here?" Gibbs asked as soon as the doctor was in eyesight.

"If you behave yourself, tomorrow. Let me see your bandage." Gibbs expertly pulled the gown away from his chest as the doc looked at his wound. "Its healing very nicely. Is it hurting?"

"Nope."

"How's the journaling going?" Gibbs just glared at Dr. Jordan. "That well, huh? Well, would you rather talk to a counselor?"

"Yes."

Dr. Jordan looked surprisingly at Gibbs. "Really?"

"No."

The doc laughed. "I figured as much. How are you feeling?"

"I need a damn coffee," he growled.

"Only decaf."

"That's not coffee! What about half-caf?"

Dr. Jordan sighed. "Do you want to end up back here so soon? Ok, one cup of regular coffee a week, but that's really all I can comfortably allow you. And even that is stretching it."

"2 half-cafs a week."

"Only with at least one day between them." The doc was used to negotiating with patients, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it, or even recommended it. "But you have to keep up with everything else. The exercises, stress-relieving techniques, rehabilitation program, AND journaling."

"You got a deal, doc."


	7. Chapter 6 point 5

**A/N: This is an unexpected chapter. I never even thought about what Gibbs would put in his journal until someone said something in a review. So I decided to add a little extra something. I also give credit to my bro, DJ Pop N Fresh, because he helped write this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6.5 ~ Gibbs Journal

Day 1

_13:37_

I am feeling bored. I'm a bit tired. I'm very uncomfortable. I want a coffee. This is stupid.

_17:12_

The first time I have been able to eat something in 3 days and they bring me mush? Now I'm hungry.

_23:43_

Annoyed.

Day 2

_00:13_

For the past couple of days I have had this funny feeling. First thing I do when I get home, check the boat.

_09:07_

I need a damn coffee!!!

_10:02_

Nurse Jennings brought me some kind of brown liquid-like substance. She may be trying to kill me. I dumped it down the sink.

_14:20_

Abby and Tony stopped by after lunch for five minutes. He has a coffee in the car. I can smell it on his breath!

_16:32_

I ate the damn mush.

Day 3

_09:13_

If my heart doesn't kill me, caffeine withdraw will.

_14:24_

Even Jimmy would be acceptable now.

_15:15_

Called Tony to see what was going on with the case. It went to voice-mail. Called Ducky. He didn't answer. Called McGee, Ziva, AND Abby! Think I'm being avoided. Or ignored.

_17:43_

After the fifth time I called McGee, he finally answered and told me he was instructed to keep me away from the case; that I needed to rest. Wonder who I have to thank for that?

_17:54_

Bet it was Ducky.

_18:24_

DiNozzo! He did this to me. I'm sure of it. He's probably sitting at my desk. I wonder if he's hit McGee yet? Does repetitive head slapping count as extensive physical activity?

_20:09_

That's two cases they have closed without me now. It's not like I didn't think they weren't capable. They got along fine without me when I was in Mexico. I just feel so damn useless. What the hell am I doing? I'm actually writing in this thing now? If Tony found out about this, I would lose all power over him. McGee I could still intimidate. Ziva may be a bit more difficult to work with. I don't scare Abby anyway. God! I'm still doing it!

Day 4

_08:00_

Is this thing ever going to stop itching?

_12:34_

Ducky is coming by to get me in a couple of hours. I need to get out of here.

_14:04_

The guy in the room next to me died. I met him yesterday. He was in here from a heart attack, too. He was younger than me. He had a family. I'm lucky to be going home, but why do I get to go home?


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ducky came and picked up Gibbs when he was released from the hospital the next day. Gibbs refused to go out in the wheel chair. He won his argument by claiming he had to start his exercise program. Half way to the car, Gibbs visibly became winded. When Ducky asked if he was alright, Gibbs told him he was fine and just wanted to get home.

Gibbs wasn't very surprised to see multiple cars in his driveway. He wasn't sure how he felt about it though. He was kind of tired and wanted to rest, but he had also been pretty isolated the last few days. _Something to write in the journal_, he sarcastically thought to himself.

When he walked in he was greeted by the smell of something very appetizing. There was also some soft music playing in the background; sounded like jazz. So far, he hadn't seen anyone. Ducky, who was carrying Gibbs' duffle bag on his own insistence, asked, "Do you want me to take this upstairs, Jethro?" Gibbs nodded and followed him up.

"Gibbs!" Abby had been finishing making the bed with his new, clean sheets, when he walked in. She threw herself and her arms around him. He grunted in pain from her force, but still managed to wrap his arms around her as well. "Oh God!" she said realizing what she had just done. "I am so sorry! I wasn't thinking. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Abbs, I'm fine. What are you all doing here?"

"We wanted you to be comfortable when you came home. I bought and washed new sheets for your bed. Ziva made dinner. And Tony and McGee have spent the last hour arguing about whether or not to light candles."

"McGee wanted to light candles?"

"No," said Abby. "Tony did."

"You look a bit pale, Jethro. Why don't you sit down for a spell."

"No, Duck. Thanks. I'm going to the basement for a minute. I have the strangest urge to check on my boat." Abby giggled. "What?"

"Nothing."

Abby and Ducky followed Gibbs to the first floor. He stood in the door of the kitchen and watched Ziva set the table. It had been a while since he had a sit down dinner with guests and didn't use paper plates. Tony and McGee were standing in a corner deep in conversation about something. _They can't really be arguing about candles?_

"It's lavender and vanilla, McGeek. Its supposed to be relaxing!"

_Apparently so,_ he thought. "You know what would be more relaxing?" Gibbs asked getting Tony, McGee and Ziva's attention. "If you two would forget about the candles and shut up."

"Good to have you back, Boss," said Tony. "See, McGee. I told you the candles were a bad idea."

"But you were the one-."

"Stop!" yelled Abby. Everyone's shocked face turned and looked at her. "Gibbs demanded quiet so quiet we shall be."

"Well, thank you, Abby." said Gibbs moving towards his basement door.

"Where's he going?" McGee asked.

"Check on his boat," said Abby. Tony laughed.

"What is so funny about that?" asked Gibbs sounding a tad annoyed.

"Nothing," Tony and Abby said in unison.

* * *

Gibbs ran his hand over the rough wood of the hull of his boat. Picking up his sanding block, he started gently rubbing it against the wood. He was sure the last thing it needed was to be sanded, but he felt he had to do something. He was only able to work on it for a couple of minutes before he had to sit down. He almost had to physically push Ducky and Abby away from him when he first headed downstairs. He assured them he would be fine alone for a few minutes. He would hate to have to prove himself wrong by calling for one of them to help him back upstairs. _God, I have never felt so old in my life_, he thought taking in a deep breath. Once he thought he was able to get back up the stairs without appearing as though he was about to drop dead, he made his way to the kitchen.

"I hope you are hungry, Gibbs." Ziva said setting the finished food on the table. Jimmy, who must have arrived while he was downstairs, was helping her.

"It smells wonderful, Ziva. What we got?" he asked heading over to the table to have a look.

"Mashed sweet potatoes, lightly seasoned green beans, no salt. And a vegetarian lasagna." A kitchen timer went off. "Oh!" she said pulling the oven door open. "And some whole wheat buns."

"You mean rolls," said Tony taking in a deep whiff of the lasagna.

"Are they not the same thing?"

"They are," said McGee. "He's just messing with you."

"And he will live to regret it," she muttered.

"Vegetarian lasagna? Such a slap to the face," said Tony to himself.

* * *

5 minutes later, everyone was sitting around the table. "Can I have everyone's attention please?" Ducky asked. Everyone focused on him. "I know this is a very rare occurrence that we are all together like this. Actually, I don't think we have all been together in such a manner. When I was a little boy-," a few low moans were heard around the table. "Now, now!" said Ducky. "This won't take long. When I was a little boy, my mother always used to make me say grace. It was a tradition that I never really outgrew. If you all would allow me the honor of saying grace tonight, I would much appreciate it." They all agreed. "If you would please hold the hand of the persons next you, I will begin." Everyone grabbed the hand of the people on either side of them; except Tony and McGee who exchanged less than happy glances and placed their hands on each other's shoulders. "This is a little something that I picked up a while ago. It seems to fit so perfectly right now." Everyone bowed their heads.

"We thank the Lord for happy hearts, for rain and sunny weather. We thank the Lord for this our food, and that we are together."

"That was real nice, Duck. Thank you," Gibbs said.

"My pleasure, boy. My pleasure. Now, I do believe it is time to start passing those buns, Miss Ziva."

"HA!" she turned and said into Tony's face. "I told you they were the same thing!"

* * *

**A/N: This is the end of the story. It didn't really turn out at all like I thought it would. I just let the story go where it wanted to after a while. I hope it wasn't a disappointing ending. Thank you to all of those who reviewed and stuck with me through out this. You were a really big help.**

**A/N 2: The saying Ducky said before dinner is something I got from my husband's family. Its something they always say before we eat at family gatherings. I'm sure they won't mind my borrowing it for this story.**


End file.
